Correction device for dictating machines



Feb. 23, 1937. T. H. BEARD ET AL CORRECTION DEVICE FOR DICTATING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 8, 1950 mv aw.

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Feb. 23, 1937. T. H. BEARD ET AL 2,072,064

CORRECTION DEVICE FOR DICTATING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Shoe?I 2 B12/M7 dln.; QLL.

ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORRECTION DEVICE FOR DICTATING MACHINES Theodore H. Beard, Bethel, and Joseph M. Lucarelle, Bridgeport, Conn., assignors to Dictaphone Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 8, 1930, Serial No. 450,694

2 Claims. (Cl. 234-1) This invention relates to improvements in corso as to indicate transversely of such sheet a rection devices for phonographs; and particularplurality of different instructions. Such devices ly to that type of phonograph which is adapted have not proved wholly satisfactory for several for commercial use, in which is employed a rereasons, mainly, with respect to pointer or guide 5 corder for recording dictation and a reproducer devices, that they require in their operation on for reproducing such dictation. In connection the part of the dictator considerable concentrawith phonographs of this character it has been tion and effort in order that the indication mark usual to employ memorandum sheets, each sheet be correctly positioned; and with respect to the having printed thereon a scale corresponding mechanically-operated plural arrangement of to a scale on the phonograph, upon which sheets marking means, that they are cumbersome, take l0 the dictator may note certain instructions and up more space on the machine than can usually corrections, this memorandum sheet being be spared, and necessitate on the part of the turned over to the transcriber as a guide in operator considerable mental effort to ensure transcribing the record. A separate memoranthe operation of the proper marker.

l5 dum sheet accompanies each record transferred It is an object of the present invention to pro- 15 to the transcriber. In the use of dictating mavide a simple and inexpensive correction indichines memoranda of two kinds are customarily cating device, adapted to avoid the defects of made by the dictator on the sheet. The first of the types of devices above discussed. Another these consists of a symbol or mark intended to object is to provide a device of the nature deindicate the place on the record where a letter scribed which may be readily mounted in oper- 20 or other communication begins or ends. The ative relation to a well known type of dictating second form of memorandum refers to indicamachine. Another object is to provide a marktions of error in what has been recorded or other ing means subject in use to a minimum of wear, information regarding the same which the dicthus ensuring long continual use Without special tator wishes to bring to the attention of the attention on the part of the operator, or fre- 25 transcriber. 'I'he dictator will record on the recquent replacement of parts. Another object is ord cylinder the substance of the correction to be to provide indication means of the character demade, and indicate on the correction sheet by scribed adapted to indicate different instrucmeans of an indication mark, differing from the tions longitudinally of the memorandum sheet,

mark denoting the. beginning or end of a comand Within a space or path of limited width as 30 municatlon, the fact that the recorded matter at compared with the width of such sheet.

the corresponding point on the record cylinder is other objects will be in part obvious and in of the nature. described and is not part of the matpart pointed out hereinafter. ter to be transcribed. Unless such indication is The invention accordingly consists in the fea.-

made 0n the record Sheet the transeriber is apt tures of construction, combinations of elements, 35 to include part of the direction as to correction, and arrangements of parts as will be exemetc., in her transcription of the letter or other pued in the structure to be hereinafter de- COmmllrliCatOl- AS a result many Sheets 0f scribed and the scope of the application of which typewriting have to be destroyed and the transwill be indicated in the following claims.

scrlption yof the true record repeated in the In the accompanying drawings in which is 40 proper form Causing much delay expense and shown one of the various possible embodiments annoyance. Devices for this purpose heretoof this invention 'fore proposed have conslsted of various forms. Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper part According to one form a pointer moves near or of a dictating machine with a marking device over a. correction sheet so as to indicate to the 45 dictatoruwhere on Such Sheet a mark may be made in accordance with the present invention applied thereto.

'sdynhggidtl gsnsaaggeglgtg; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereotwith a part guide alm'lg which a pencil may be moved by of the support for the marking device shown ln f the dictator to mark on the correction sheet the broken Section 50 desired indication. According to another form, Fg- 3 is a top Plan VeW 0f the mdeatlon mark la plurality of recording devices are provided for ing deVCemechanically indicating different instructions Fig- 41s a Side elevation of the marking devicey vat points predeterminedly spaced in position in a portion thereof being shown in cross-section a direction transversely of the correction sheet, on line 4 4 of Fig. 5; and 55 CIL Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the indication marking device, partly in section.

In general, the indication marking device coinprises a support for memorandum sheets, an indicator and means whereby the indicator and support have relative movement in proportion to the relative movement of the sound-box and record tablet, said indicator comprising a marking member constructed to rest on the memorandum sheet or sheets and movable to follow the surface of said sheets as successive sheets are removed.

Only so much of the dictating machine is shown as will serve to show the application of the invention thereto.

The base lll of the machine is supported on a motor-box l containing mechanism (not shown) for imparting rotation to the mandrel i2 on which the record tablet it is mounted, and for moving the sound-box carriage ifi longitudinally thereover. Rising from the base l? at either end 'thereof are a pair of standards i5, extending between which is a hollow carriage guide rod or tube l5 along which the carriage is movable. This tube is adapted to contain a feed screw (not shown) for causing traveling movement of the carriage axially of the record. tablet. The carriage is prevented from rotating n said tubular guide rod by means of a depending arm il which is forked at its lower` end to straddle a guide rod i8 extending between said standards.

Extending forwardly from each standard i5 at the top thereof is an arm i9 for supporting a bar Ztl, to the face of which is attached a scale member 2l. Along the scale 2l a pointer 22 is adapted to move as the carriage travels.

The carriage supports a suitable sound-box 2t provided with styli 2Q and 25 adapted to trace or track a sound line on the surface of the record tablet.

As is best shown in the lower portions of Figs. l and 2, a support is provided for a pad composed of superimposed memorandum or correction sheets, and preferably this support comprises a tray 25, provided with a longitudinal upstanding flange 2l and clamping means 2t, said tray being of a size suitable to receive a pad of correction sheets, as indicated at 29. The pad is placed on the tray with its lower edge against the flange 2l and is held in place by the clamp 28. The tray is provided with a hook Si] adapted to be received. between the base of the machine and the motor casing ii, and to extend down-- wardly below the upper edge of said casing. A screw 3i may be provided to engage the inner side of the motor casing to hold the tray in any desired position longitudinally of the machine. The support of the tray is preferably such that said tray is inclined to the horizontal in order that the correction sheets may be in a substantially at right angles to the line of sight. In the form shown, said tray is also provided with a plurality of lugs designed to engage the surface of the cabinet to prevent the tray from tilting downwardly out of its proper position.

An indication marker is provided to have movement over the correction sheet or sheets supported on the tray such movement being in proportion to the traverse of the sound-box over the record tablet. 'In the form shown said indication marker comprises an arm or support 33 secured to the front of the carriage by means of screws 34, said arm being curved at 35 to embrace the forward projection 35 of the carriage, and

extends downwardly toward the tray 25.

The construction thus far described relates to familiar parts of a dictating machine well known in the art, the arm S3 having been provided in the past with a pointer overlying a portion of the tray 25. In the present construction a mechanical marking device indicated generally by the numeral 3'! is pivotally mounted, as by pin 38, to the lower end of the arm 33. This device comprises a plate member 39 provided with upstanding flanges 45 to engage the pivot pin 38; an extension plate 4 i, adjustably secured to the plate member 3Q as by means of the screw 42, which passes through a slot i3 in said plate member 39 and is in threaded engagement with the extension plate 4i; and finally an operating member 4d provided with a finger piece 45 and a marking stylus (i6.

Plate 39 is provided with a rearwardly and upwardly inclined extension for engaging the under side of the arm 33 to limit the downward movement of the marker about its pivot 38. Plate 39 is also provided with lateral downwardly extending lugs fil", between which the plate member di is positioned. These lugs prevent relative swiveling movement of the two plates about the screw 42.

Plate fl! is provided at its lower end with a thickened boss 48 provided with an opening rotatably to receive a pivot stud 49. The operating member 44 comprises a pair of spaced anges 50 and 5i, adapted to embrace between them the thickened end of plate 4l. Stud 49 passes freely through an opening in flange 50 and is threaded "v into flange 5|. Thus the operating member is pivotally mounted for rotative movement about the substantially vertically disposed pivot 49.

`Extending forwardly and upwardly from the flange 5G is the finger piece 45, and extending rearwardly from the lower flange 5| are a pair of spaced ears 52. A stud 53 projecting from the lower side of plate 4l and positioned on the center line thereof is provided to engage the inner edge of either ear 52 when the operating member is swiveled, to serve as a stop limiting its movement in either direction.

Secured to or formed integrally upon the lower side of plate 4l at its rear end is a small cylinder 54, slidably positioned in which is a plunger 55 having a reduced rear extension 55 slidably engaging'a reduced counter-bore 51. Between the head of the plunger and the rear wall of the cylinder is interposed a helical spring 58 which tends normally to hold the plunger in its extreme forward position. Extending transversely of and disposed flush with the forward face of the plunger is a cross bar 59, which bears with even pressure upon the tips of both ears 52, serving normally to hold the operating member in its central position.

From the foregoing the operation will be clear. As the stylus tracks the record, the carriage moving to the right, its position at any time is indicated upon the scale 2|, and simultaneously the stylus of the marker occupies the same relative position over the scale of the correction sheet or pad. Should the dictator, at this point, desire to indicate, for example, the beginning or ending of a letter, he may grasp the finger piece 45 of the marking device and pressing down slightly swing the operating member either to the right or to the left, against the tension of the spring 58, thus making a slightly curved check mark upon the scale of the correction sheet, the said Cil Cil

mark having its beginning at its lowest point and sloping upwardly with slight upward convexity away from such lowest point, either to the right or to the left, as the case may be. If a movement to the right is made to produce an indication as to the length of a letter, the mark made by movement to the left may be employed to indicate some instruction or indication of error. It will be noted that in either case the lower point or beginning of the mark will be the same distance downwardly from the top of the correction sheet, and while this point will vary somewhat, as sheets are torn from the pad, the mark will always overlie the scale. Thus are formed with the same operating stylus, marks of a different character, which occupy the same relative positions with respect to the transverse dimensions of the scale.

As soon as the linger piece is released the spring 58 will cause the return oi' the stylus to its central position, and the dictator may proceed with his dictation, the stylus trailing lightly over the surface of the correction sheet, but always in a position to be readily swung in either desired direction.

Fig. 3 shows in full lines the marker swung to the left as seen from below, and in broken lines, to the right. 'I'his view also shows how the stop pin 53 limits the throw of the operating part.

In the past, indications on a correction sheet have usuallyv been made with a lead pencil. Applicants might, of course, use pencil lead for their stylus, but in such case the lead would need frequent replacement with consequent loss of time and annoyance. In their present embodiment, therefore, a. stylus composed of a metal alloy such as brass has been used, and in order that in use marks of suflicient clearness may result, a correction sheet is used, the surface of which has been treated in such a manner as to make it slightly abrasive so as to enable it to receive a substantially black mark, resembling a pencil mark, from the operation of the alloy stylus. 'I'he preparation of correction sheets in this manner adds little to their cost and the life of the metallic stylus as compared with a lead pencil is extended almost indefinitely, thus adding greatly to the efciency and desirability oi the present correction device.

Considerable advantage is also found in the use of a device such as the present one, in that only a small portion of the upper half of a correction sheet of the usual size is utilized for scale and indication purposes, thus leaving nearly twothirds of the correction sheet available for any pencil notes which the dictator may desire to make.

We claim:

1. In a correction device fordictating machines, the combination of a correction sheet having a surface exposed to receive markings, a bracket mounted with its free end movable along a path parallel to said sheet, an arm mounted at said free end of the bracket to swing freely toward and from said sheet, a marker holder mounted on said arm for lateral deflection in a plane parallel to the exposed surface of the sheet, and a. marker mounted on said holder in position to engage and mark on said exposed surface of the sheet when said arm is laterally deflected.

2. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame, a carriage movable on said frame, an instruction indication sheet held in fixed relation to said frame, and a marker yieldingly restrained from lateral deflection in a midposition and movable with said carriage to operative positions in relation to the sheet and manually defiectable laterally through a limited angle in either direction from said mid-position to make divergently directed marks on said sheet.

'II-IEODORE H. BEARD. JOSEPH M. LUCARELLE. 

